Beckett or recirc. NW

chaotic · 07-06-2007, 03:03 AM

Which is a better choice for a BB system and why? Anectodal and factual evidence appreciated!

crvz · 07-06-2007, 07:39 AM

I think beckett skimmers can be more effective, but they require more hands-on tinkering. Most of the needlewheels are almost a set and forget type skimmer. Because most folks don't spend the time dorking around with their skimmers on a daily basis, it's probably a wash in terms of which one is "better."

That being said, I prefer a needlewheel due to the electricity pull compared to the large pump normally needed on a beckett. I'm still not sold on recirculating skimmers, as they don't really work that much better to justify the cost (contact time improval is on the order of ~20%). In my experience, you're better off buying just a bigger skimmer than a recirculating. Example; I have the EuroReef CS250, with the eheim pump, for my 150 gallon bare-bottomed tank. It works very well, is silent in operation, and pulls just 35 watts on the pump.

There's a large following of MRC MR-2 skimmers on this board, so someone can definitely weigh in on that as I've heard great things about it; but weighing all the factors (noise, heat input, power usage, ease of use), I prefer the needlewheels.

salt-rookie · 07-06-2007, 08:03 AM

Mine is a Beckett. I had a recirc (Terminator 2). It was a PIECE of junk!

King-Kong · 07-06-2007, 10:43 AM

My understanding is that nothing beats Becketts for raw skimming potential, but their downsides are noise, heat, and overall size.

That said, I only used needlewheel, and now threadwheels.

Hop · 07-06-2007, 10:57 AM

I really feel that this is a depends scenario. The beckett vs. needlewheel debate has been going on for a while. I have read tons about how much skimmate each can make, but I have yet to read a study on the quality of skimmate.

Case in point is that I had an MR-3, modded w/ dual beckets and a 12" riser extension. I had to tinker with this thing constantly, but I could get about a 1/2 gallon of skimmate a day with it. I got frustrated to the point that I sld the skimmer and got a fairly large RC NW. Now I can pull out the same amount of funk with it, but the smell of it is 10 times worse.

So my question is If I custom made a beckett 48" tall and 10-12" in diameter, would it make the same quality skimmate as my NW? It's obvious that I have more surface area(bubble quantity and size) with the beckett, than the NW, but less dwell time currently. And zero tweaking of the NW over the course of the week is a good thing

The other thing to consider is efficiency. Up until recently you needed multiple pumps on a NW for larger designs, which brought the amp draw up to that of a beckett. So the NW lost the efficiency appeal as they grew larger. Now that companies like BM are coming out with larger skimmers and sequence came out with it's own skimmer with a NW dart, this issue may become a no brainer as well.

chaotic · 07-06-2007, 11:22 AM

Thanks for the replies. This is for a 90g total volume system, and I will have a portion of the water from the overflow feed directly into the skimmer. I don't like having to adjust my skimmer all the time, so I think I am leaning more towards a quality NW.

motorslave · 07-06-2007, 11:26 AM

Sequence came out wioth a skimmer? Link?

I have had both a needlewheel and a beckett. The needlewheel is great for ease of use and power draw. I did however feel that it didnt have the ability to adjust it as much as I would have liked to. The beckett did an awsome job once it got set to its "sweet spot" as Tom would say. really pulled the goo out and it now had an extra beckett and riser extension (its an MRC MR-2)
Since power consumption is becoming an issue in my house I may have to change gears when I re-do my 150.
There are mods that can be dont to needlewhells to give you more control over them and how they skim. But personally for raw skimming power I prefer the beckett style.

Hop · 07-06-2007, 01:24 PM

motorslave: Absolutely! I think this is going to be a rocking skimmer! Scroll down for some beta test pics!
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...y_Code=reefflo

chaotic: I have not seen a rc beckett run while fed from the overflow, only RC needle wheels. I wouldn't mind giving that idea a try

King-Kong · 07-06-2007, 01:26 PM

"Air Flow: 90 SCHF"

!!!!!!! haha are you KIDDING me?!

Hop · 07-06-2007, 01:30 PM

Kidding in what way? I heard the new BM will be even higher... I know that there is a pond pump people are modding and pulling a ton more air for half the price of the sequence NW pump, but I like the warrant that comes with the sequence

Plus it's about the same watts as the three pumps on my NW skimmer now, but about 22schf more...

King-Kong · 07-06-2007, 01:37 PM

No, I think it's awesome. Especially for something with a total height of 31".

It should be really fun to get going.

(My BM250 supposidly does 2000l/h, but the package is smaller, so there's a lot of turbulence.)

Hop · 07-06-2007, 01:39 PM

Ahhh. I was thinking I needed to go back to the drawing board for a minute

Reading your posts on RC (I'm assuming it the same avatar

) I certainly respect your opinion!

King-Kong · 07-06-2007, 01:55 PM

How dare you! I am no one to be respected :P

(yeah.. same guy.. thanks )

What skimmer are you running now?

Hop · 07-06-2007, 02:01 PM

I had GEO custom make a 48" tall 8" (now I wish I had gone 10-12")diameter NW, with three Gen-X 6000. It does rock, but when I designed it it was for 450 gallons. I was going to upgrade to 3 H&S Eheims, but have since recanted. Now that I'm adding a second display into the system, I don't think it will keep up. So I've been looking at these sequence skimmers as well as the BMs that are suposed to be coming out in the next few months.

LOL, well I still respect your opinions from what I read. We definately think on similiar levels on some stuff...

crvz · 07-06-2007, 02:17 PM

Hop, oh, the eheim's are awesome! I just upgraded from the EuroReef gen-x 6000 to eheim 1262 yesterday, and so really I'm only talking about the noise levels, but I was amazed at the pump. They arent as powerful, which may decrease performance (I'll now in a couple days/weeks as to how well that plays out), but for a skimmer that's in the house, it's a dream. Of course, I believe you've got a nice tank room planned out, so it may not matter in your application...